The genre peaked in terms of global awareness with “KPop Demon Hunters,” while the industry’s most promising new act was mired in a legal morass. By Jon Caramanica This year, from a distance, the ...

In 2003, at 11 years old, Kim Eun-jae signed with the Korean agency SM Entertainment as a trainee, hoping to rise through the necessary steps to become a K-pop idol. She worked for the company for ...

In San Diego, multiple generations and ethnicities are surfing the Korean Wave — or Hallyu, the 21st-century East-meets-West cultural phenomenon — bolstered by the release of the animated Academy ...

If you’re like me, you’re K-pop curious. You know what K-pop is and you’ve heard some K-pop but you’re still uncertain if you like K-pop because you’re old and haven’t cared about the Top 40 since ...

When the world’s biggest K-pop group announced their hiatus in late 2022, they were at the height of superstardom. They regularly topped music charts, won prestigious awards, and arguably transformed ...

In CUriosity, experts across the CU Boulder campus answer questions about humans, our planet and the universe beyond. Stephanie Choi, assistant professor of ethnomusicology at CU Boulder and a K-pop ...

When KPop Demon Hunters was released on Netflix in June 2025, conversations almost immediately began in K-pop fan communities about whether the movie’s soundtrack, which is up for an Oscar today, ...

These days, attend any K-pop concert – whether it’s Blackpink or BTS – and you’ll find a crowd of diverse fans coming from all over the world and singing along, even though the songs are primarily in ...

The superstar boy band returns after a four-year hiatus on Friday. The genre it helped turn into a global juggernaut has endured some shifts, and minted new stars. By Steve Knopper For a brief period, ...

Even many superfans will tell you that K-pop's pageantry has often masked a troubled business model, where impressionable young trainees commit to a life run entirely by their agencies. Signing on the ...